Iraqi authorities are currently exhuming the remains of around 100 Kurdish women and children, believed to have been killed in the 1980s under Saddam Hussein’s regime. The mass grave, according to an AFP journalist, was found in Tal al-Shaikhia, Muthanna province, about 15-20 kilometers from the main road.

This grave, initially discovered in 2019 but where exhuming efforts only recently began, is the second to be uncovered at the site, said Diaa Karim, head of the Iraqi authority for mass graves.

"After removing the first layer of soil and the remains appearing clearly, it was discovered that they all belonged to women and children dressed in Kurdish springtime clothes," Karim noted. He estimated that the victims likely came from Kalar in the northern Sulaimaniyah province and said there were "no less than 100" people buried in the grave, though the number may change as the exhumation continues.

The mass grave is linked to Saddam’s Anfal Operation, carried out between 1987 and 1988, which AFP reported killed an estimated 180,000 Kurds.

"A large number of the victims were executed with live shots to the head fired at short range," Karim explained, adding that some victims may have been "buried alive" due to the lack of bullet marks on their remains.

Ahmed Qusai, head of the excavation team, highlighted the difficulties of the operation, noting that "the remains have become entangled as some of the mothers were holding their infants" when they were killed. Durgham Kamel, part of the exhumation authority, added that another mass grave was found near the infamous Nugrat al-Salman prison, where Saddam’s regime detained dissidents.

The Iraqi government estimates that between 1980 and 1990, 1.3 million people disappeared due to Saddam’s policies.

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